Unitary wad column and shot container



1969 H. E. CLARK, JR

UNITARY WAD COLUMN AND SHOT CONTAINER Filed June 19, 1967 FIG! FIGA

HOMER E. CLARK,JR. BY (2 w. KM

FIG 5 ATTORN EY 3,422,762 UNITARY WAD COLUMN AND SHOT CONTAINER Homer E.Clark, Jr., Alton, Ill., assignor to Alcan Company, Incorporated, Alton,11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed June 19, 1967, Ser. No. 646,928US. Cl. 102-42 11 Claims Int. Cl. F42b 7/08 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Aunitary wad column and shot container comprising in an integratedstructure an obturating wad portion, a conical shot receptacle beingcontinuous at its upper end with a cylindrical shot compartment, thewall sections of which are adapted for mutual separation upon firing,there being support ribs integral with the outer wall surface of theconical portion and with the obturating wad portion.

Background of the invention Although many etforts have been heretoforemade in developing wad column incorporating shot containers, the samehave consistently provided only a cylindrical chamber for the shot andincorporated relatively extensive filler wad portions. Such shotcontainer sections have not provided the desired shot concentration atrelatively long ranges and additionally such structures have beenrelatively costly in production. By the present invention a unitary wadcolumn and shot container is presented having a two-portion shotcontainer, the inner one of which is conical in shape, while the outeris of an expansible character so that upon firing a proper shotdispersal will be eflected but yet with relatively increasedconcentration at long ranges. Furthermore, the problem of providingappropriate gas sealing action, as well as requisite lateral stabilityof the shot container, has been another problem existing in this fieldand by the present invention such have been overcome.

Summary of the invention It is a primary object of the present inventionto provide a unitary wad column and shot container for shotguncartridges which may be fabricated in a low-cost, high-volume mannerfrom relatively lightweight, but yet highly durable, materials.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a unitary wadcolumn and shot container which embodies a shot receptacle of conicalcharacter for conducing to eifective shot concentration at relativelylong ranges.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a unitary wadcolumn and shot container wherein the shot container comprises arelatively rigid inner conical portion and an outer expansible portionfor desired shot dispersal.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a unitary wadcolumn and shot container of the type stated incorporating stabilizingmeans for assuring proper concentration of the shot receptacle as wellas conducing to requisite gas sealing action.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a side view of a shotguncartridge, a portion of the body wall being broken away, having a wadcolumn, shown partially in section, constructed in accordance with andembodying the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the wad column illustrated in FIGURE1.

nited States Patent 3,422,762 Patented Jan. 21, 1969 Brief descriptionof the preferred embodiment sectional View sectional view Referring nowby reference characters to the drawing which illustrates the preferredembodiment of the present invention, A designates a shotgun shell orcartridge having a base 1 and the usual tubular body 2 fabricated as ofpaper, plastic, metal, or the like. A primer assembly (not shown) isprovided within base 1 and thereabove, within body 2, is disposed apropellant charge 3. Immediately overlying and in confining relationshipto charge 3 is a unitary member 4 combining a wad column and shotcontainer.

Said member 4 integrally incorporates at its lower end an obturating waddefining portion 5 having a peripheral depending skirt 6 for effectivesealing engagement on its outer face with the confronting wall portionof tubular body 2. Obturating wad portion upwardly of skirt 6 comprisesa body section 7 and centrally of the upper face thereof, and integrallyformed therewith, is the base 8 of an upwardly opening shot receptacle,indicated generally at 9, and being of conical form with the upperlateral edge of the cone being contiguous with the inner face of tubularmember 2 as at 10. Said conical receptacle 9 is thus adapted to receivea shot charge 11 as of multimissile character. Continuous with the upperedge of conical receptacle 9 is an upwardly extending cylindrical sleeve12, the outer face of which abuts against inner face of tubular member2; said sleeve 12 internally providing an extension of conicalreceptacle 9 for containing a portion of shot charge 11; the wall ofsaid sleeve 12 being relatively thin, though fabricated of relativelytough material, such as polyethylene. Said sleeve 12 may be providedwith vertically extending slits, as at 13, and there may be any numberof such slits although four have been found preferable in usage, so thatupon firing of cartridge A, the thus divided wall portions of sleeve 12will move away from each other, as by a folding back, so as to preventany impedance of the shot discharged. Said sleeve portions, however,will remain integral with wad column 4. Thus, it is to be speciallyobserved that sleeve 12 and conical receptacle 9 are integral.

Conical receptacle 9 is supported by a series of vertically extendingribs, indicated generally at R, the bottom portions of which areintegral with the upper surface of obturating wad body portion 7 andwhich terminate at their upper ends by merging into the upper end ofconical receptacle 9, as at 14. On their inner vertical mar-gins eachrib R is integral with the outer face of conical receptacle 9, as at 15,and their outer vertical side margins are suitably contoured forabutment against the confronting portion of the inner face of tubularmember 2. Thus, clue to the upward and outward diverging character ofconical receptacle 9, each rib R will have its side margins upwardlyconverging so that the said ribs are wider at their base or lower endsthan at their upper ends. As thus shown, conical receptacle 9 with ribsR and obturating wad section 5 provide an integrated structure forassured presentation of shot receptacle 9 in centered relationship totubular body 2 and with balanced support so that upon firing ofcartridge A effective dispersal of shot 11 will be brought about. As maybest be seen in FIGURES 4 and 5, ribs R are so disposed about receptacle9 as to provide balanced support, there being 3 thus diametrally alignedribs 16, 16', and preferably three pair of aligned ribs 17, 17, 18, 18,19, 19', which are mutually parallel and are axially normal to ribs 16,16'.

With the use of unitary member 4 there is thus obviated the heretoforeaccepted necessity of providing a plurality of individual wads such asan obturating wad and filler wads with loading of the cartridgethereabove by the shot since the present invention incorporates acombination wad column and shot container which may easily be placedwithin the tubular casing and which facilitates the shot-loadingoperation.

It will be seen that ribs R also serve to provide a wad functionassisting in completing the spacing between the propellent charge 3 andthe upper end of cartridge A and which ribs R may be of suitablecompressibility so that upon firing the same may appropriately giveunder impact of the forces of explosion and thereby cushion theexplosive effect on the shot and further by such action tend to promoteeffective sealing in cooperation with skirt 6 to prevent undesired gasleakage. The novel character of shot receptacle 9 has been found toconduce to the concentration of shot patterns at relatively long ranges.Due to the provision of slits 13 in sleeve 12, the said sleeve will actas an extension of the cone of receptacle 9 upon firing since while inthe cartridge the walls of tubular body 2 serve to retain the slitportions of sleeve 12 against parting. Additionally, it has been foundthat member 4 is adapted for use with shot of varying sizes so that thesame would have wide application. It is evident that the combination wadcolumn and shot container of the present invention may be made in ahigh-volume, low-cost manner as by molding from suitable plastics, suchas polyethylene and the like, and which, as indicated above, isparticularly suitable for use by the individual reloaders as it assuresof relative centering of shell components.

Having thus defined my invention, what I claim and desire to obtain byLetters Patent is:

1. For use in a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, anover-powder unitary wad column and shot container comprising anobturating wad portion, means defining an upwardly opening shotcontainer having a continuous side wall of upwardly increasingcross-section, said shot container being presented upwardly of saidobturating wad portion, and a plurality of vertically presented ribmembers disposed laterally outwardly of said shot container and havingan inner side margin, an outer side margin, and a base margin, each ribmember being integral on its base margin with the upper surface of saidobturating wad portion and with its inner margin being integral with theconfronting portion of said shot container wall.

2. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, anover-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1and further characterized by said shot container being of invertedconical configuration with its narrow end adjacent the obturating wadportion, the outer margin of each of said ribs being free fordisposition against the confronting portion of the shotgun cartridgetubular casing.

3. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing anover-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1and further characterized by means defining a shot receiving extensionprojecting from the wider or upper end of said shot container.

4. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, anover-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 3and further characterized by said shot receiving extension being ofcylindrical form and constituted of a plurality of arcuate segmentsjointly serving to provide a completed receptacle when within thecartridge and adapted to separate upon explosion.

5. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, anover-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 3and further characterized by said shot receiving extension being ofrelatively thin walled construction with respect to said shot container.

6. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, anover-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1and further characterized by said shot container being coaxial with thebody of said wad column and shot container having at least two sets ofparallel ribs.

7. For use in a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing as defined inclaim 8 and further characterized by the upper end of said shotcontainer having an outside diameter substantially the same as theinside diameter of said tubular casing.

8. For use in a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, anover-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1and further characterized by said inner and outer margins of said ribmembers converging toward their ends remote from said obturating wadportion.

9. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, anover-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1and further characterized by at least two of said ribs being co-planar.

10. For use in a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, anover-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1and further characterized by said rib members being spacedcircumferentially about said shot container.

11. For use in a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, anover-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1and being integrally fabricated of molded construction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 157,793 12/1874 Cochran 102-421,470,655 10/ 1923 Sweeley 10'242 3,233,546 2/ 1966 Foote et al 102-423,262,392 7/1966 Becker et al. 102-42 3,269,311 8/1966 Comerford 102-423,289,586 12/1966 Horn et al. 10242 3,299,813 1/1967 Rickey 102-42FOREIGN PATENTS 1,390,151 1/1965 France.

OTHER REFERENCES Trap & Field Magazine, April 1966, p. 19, VereliteWads.

ROBERT F. STAHL, Primary Examiner.

